


We built castles out of couches

by silvervelour



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race (US) RPF
Genre: F/F, hurt comfort vibez, that's it that's the fic, they make a blanket fort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29986419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvervelour/pseuds/silvervelour
Summary: When Jan was a kid, she’d build blanket forts with her brothers whenever anything went the slightest bit awry.If the ice cream shop was out of her favourite flavour? Her dad would find whatever they had in the freezer and her eldest brother would drape bed sheets between the living room couches.When she failed her first math test in the seventh grade? She cried about it beneath constellations of polka dot blankets with her head resting on a cloud of pillows.Jan had even made herself one in her bedroom on the night when she’d first realised she was gay, a safe haven of pretty fairy lights and snacks that she’d taken from the family kitchen.
Relationships: Jackie Cox/Jan Sport
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	We built castles out of couches

**Author's Note:**

> Hi babies!! So I've had this idea in my docs for a while, but today I finally sat down and wrote it! It's all very soft and very gay, but I thought it'd be a nice little vibes moment!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!<3

When Jan was a kid, she’d build blanket forts with her brothers whenever anything went the slightest bit awry. 

If the ice cream shop was out of her favourite flavour? Her dad would find whatever they had in the freezer and her eldest brother would drape bed sheets between the living room couches. 

When she failed her first math test in the seventh grade? She cried about it beneath constellations of polka dot blankets with her head resting on a cloud of pillows. 

Jan had even made herself one in her bedroom on the night when she’d first realised she was gay, a safe haven of pretty fairy lights and snacks that she’d taken from the family kitchen. She’d stayed up late, too late for a school night, and replayed the memory of a tipsy kiss behind the bleachers with her friend Nicky until there wasn’t a straight thought left in her body. It had felt too good and too right to ignore, and though she knew neither her close family or friends would kick up a fuss about it, she needed that time to herself. 

Time in a space that was only temporary, where she could pour out all of her feelings and then tear them down with the cushions and the sheets and the lights that had surrounded her. 

It’s something that Jan has carried with her into her twenties, even if building castles out of couches happens less and less frequently these days. 

Because when she  _ does _ build them the turrets reach the ceilings, and the moat of serenity protects everything within the cotton walls. Jan is able to ignore the stress of work that rests on her shoulders, the ever evolving political climate that makes her want to groan whenever she opens Twitter. Just for a couple of hours the noise fades away, and she replaces it with the gentle melody of steaming cups of tea and the knowledge that  _ this is just a moment. _

When she’d first introduced the idea to her girlfriend Jackie, she’d been met with a smile and a sense of reassurance that had made her chest swell. 

Jan hadn’t shared her sacred blanket forts with anyone other than her brothers, and she thinks Jackie had known that it was a big deal for her. Jackie had stayed quiet until Jan had spoken, but even then she’d kept her silky voice below whispers. It had been grounding, to listen to Jackie as her delicate fingers had carded through her hair, and afterwards they’d been able to laugh about the chaos that the dreaded week before the holidays had brought them. 

The next day they’d travelled to Jackie’s dad’s house in Canada, and then they were fine for months. 

Until Jackie has a bad day at work, and Jan cries with her as soon as the door to their apartment closes behind them. 

It’s a relief to set down their bags in the hallway. They land with soft thuds on the hardwood floors, but then they pull each other into an even softer embrace. Jackie smells faintly of the vanilla perfume that she always wears, even though it’s worn off throughout the day. It’s mixed with the poignance of blonde roast coffee that Jan knows is on tap in her office, as well as the late evening of the city. It reminds Jan more of home than the four brick walls themselves, but it’s not something that she’s ever been shocked by. 

Because Jackie - in her existence and her presence and her love -  _ is _ home. 

Even on a bad day. 

“Hey-”. Jan breathes into the crook of her neck. 

“-I’ve got you”. She soothes. 

Jackie melts into her like the ice cream had melted through her fingertips as a child.

Sweet and slow and a little cold from the weather outside. 

Jan keeps her arms wrapped around her with her hands gripping her back, and only pulls away to move them up to Jackie’s shoulders. When they get there they squeeze gently, and Jackie’s eyes that are wide and brimming with tears finally pour over. Jan wipes away each one that falls and in return Jackie does the same to her, thumbs swiping beneath her lashes. Jan is too connected to her to  _ not _ cry whenever she does, and she doesn’t think it’s something to shy away from. 

“Long day?”. Jan sniffles, hand trailing to cup Jackie’s cheek. 

Jackie nods her head affirmatively, the orange glow of the hallway reflecting on her skin. Jan thinks that she looks like gold, or the bronze of their drinks trolley that’s tucked away in the living room. Looking at Jackie feels like being five glasses into the expensive whiskey that it holds, when she’s tipsy and infatuated and in awe of everything that Jackie is. She’s a hard worker and a gentle lover, but still lets Jan patch her up with band aids and kisses when needed. 

“The longest-”. Jackie sighs. 

Her tears are drying, lips curling into a hint of a smile. 

“-I’ve never been more glad to see you”. She snorts. 

And while Jan knows that her words are meant in jest, she can’t help but agree with them. 

So Jan does just as she always has done, and kisses Jackie once before heading to the kitchen to boil the kettle. 

She gathers a slew of blankets and cushions from their bedroom then, while Jackie gets the oat milk from the fridge and the sugar from the cupboard. They work together so that things move quicker, and then meet in the living room where the lamps are dim and Jan’s laptop is cycling through her  _ prettier music _ playlist. Jackie sets both of their matching initial mugs down onto the coffee table - a lilac  _ J _ and an orange  _ J _ \- and Jan places a kiss to the tip of Jackie’s nose in thanks. 

Effortlessly, they build a fort that’s just big enough for the both of them to sit and lay comfortably. 

They map out a floor of fleece blankets and scatter cushions that Jan has pulled from their bedroom, and construct a roof out of a spare sheet. Jackie brings in tiny battery operated tea lights that she’s taken from the mantle of the fireplace, then switches them on when Jan returns from her brief trip back to their closet. In her hands she holds two oversized t-shirts - one a deep burgundy, the other a baby pink - and she makes quick work of tossing the former towards Jackie. 

“C’mon-”. Jan softens. 

She can see the exhaustion ticking away behind Jackie’s eyes. 

“-Get cosy”. She smiles, hand coming to squeeze Jackie’s forearm tenderly. 

Jan watches Jackie peel away the tension of the day one item of clothing at a time. 

With her pants goes the frown that she’d been wearing on her face since stepping foot into the apartment, and with her shirt goes the ache that Jan could see hanging off of her heart. Jackie stands in just her underwear and socks as Jan works her way out of her own clothes, but Jan can’t coax her eyes from each perfectly sculpted plane of Jackie’s body. Her shoulders curve and her spine dips; Jan doesn’t think she’s ever seen anything more beautiful than when she sheds her bra just to pull her t-shirt on. 

“Jacks…”. Jan voices, a soft simper barely audible above the diminutive music that’s still playing. 

“Hm?”. 

Jackie’s cheeks flush, and Jan is pulled closer by the heartstring that tethers the both of them together. 

“You’re-”. Jan pauses to inhale.

“-So gorgeous”. She finishes. 

The piano picks up in the background, and Jackie stops adjusting the waistband of her panties to look over to Jan with pursed lips. 

“Janice-”. Jackie tilts her head. 

An airy chuckle bubbles into the air. 

“-Are you trying to make me cry? _ Again _ ?”. She smirks. 

And while Jan is trying to do the complete opposite, seeing that Jackie’s still able to crack a joke does make her feel a little lighter. 

That’s her  _ woman _ , her favourite person, and Jan cherishes every beauty mark embellished across her clavicles as well each worry line etched into her face. Jackie wouldn’t be Jackie without her undying need for perfection, but Jan tries to ease each anxiety as they come. Because sometimes, even if Jackie can’t stop herself from overworking and pushing herself that little bit too far, Jan makes sure that she’s there. They balance each other when the other needs it most, and Jan is beyond grateful for that.

When they settle - Jan’s head on Jackie’s chest, fingers loosely intertwined - the world outside of their fort blurs into nothingness. 

They laugh together about their days and the weekend that’s to come, as well the summer months that are slowly creeping in. Their cat Crimson who’s a ginger tabby angel joins them at one point, and comes to rest at Jackie’s side. She purrs for attention until they both give it to her, but then pads back out of the fort when Jan loads an episode of  _ The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills  _ on her laptop. The shrill cackles are too much for her, Jackie teases, but Jan just gives her a halfhearted shove and tells her to shut up. 

Meant lovingly, of course. 

As the night trickles on they work their way through three episodes. There’s enough drama to get Jackie properly laughing, and plenty of opportunities for Jan to flex her extensive knowledge on the ins and outs of the lives of these rich women. They’re both in agreement that Lisa Vanderpump could get it, Kyle Richards is a milf, and Lisa Rinna is - in Jackie’s words - an icon amongst women. 

“She is  _ the _ saving grace of this show”. She tells Jan.

It makes Jan snort, her head craning back in laughter. 

“We know you stan her”. Jan sings, to which Jackie rolls her eyes. 

“How could I not”. Jackie counters. 

And Jan couldn’t argue with her even if she wanted to. 

They’re both far too tired, too on the cusp of sleep to even think about clicking the button that says  _ continue watching _ when the screen times out. Jan closes her laptop with a content hum, and hooks her leg lazily across Jackie’s waist. Jackie’s fingers are already working through the waves of her hair, a motion which Jan has always found calming. She leans up to kiss at Jackie’s lips when Jackie utters her name - a tender  _ Jan _ \- and then relaxes back into the flowing river of blankets.

They sleep there, under the sky of linen, and Jan still maintains that it’s a foolproof remedy to a bad day. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also on Tumblr @ Jancox!


End file.
